Welcome to GISH PICKS: CURATED CULTURE FOR KIDS AND ADULTS! I’m Sarah Gish, an info-preneur and culture sleuth who finds the unusual and cool in Houston each and every week. Join me as I shine a light on special gems and unique Houston fun. I love this city and want to show you the people and the places and the events that make it great (see more about my wishes for that here). And I want to make it easy so I sort through the cornucopia of events offered each weekend and PICK only three for FAMILIES and three for ADULTS to recommend to you. That way you’ll be all set when Friday hits! If you’re new here, please read below for more about this blog and then check out my PICKS for this weekend, further below.

THOUGHTS FOR THIS WEEK

Halloween is coming up, y’all! There are lots of events going on – check out the Greater Houston Convention and Visitor’s Bureau list of suggestions here and get going on your spooky fun. Halloween and “Día de los Muertos” and All Saints’ Day and several other traditions collide at this time of the year – I’ve always enjoyed “Day of the Dead” best simply because it’s a time for us to honor our deceased ancestors. Be sure to check out this week’s VIDEO PICK, in which Casa Ramirez owner Macario Ramirez explains ofrendas– altars for the dead and a sacred creation that he oversees at his shop every year. I was honored to make an ofrenda for my brother, Geoffrey Gish, a few years ago – you’ll see a quick shot of his photo (the guy with the red hair!) and his cowboy boots in the video. This year, be sure to view the special altar created in honor of my dear friend Lucia Bettler, the owner of Lucia’s Garden who passed away last year. As is tradition, Casa Ramirez will have a special event honoring the ofrendas and Day of the Dead (which includes yummy sugar cookies and tamales!) this Saturday, October 27 from 5-8pm.

We are the most diverse city in the country, not only because of the over 150 languages spoken here every day, but also because of the diversity of events offered and places to hang our (cowboy) hats. Because of that, I decided back in 2004 to start sharing my adventures in Houston and my knowledge of it with others via GISH PICKS. And, since 2016, I have been bringing it to life with my PICKS-ON-WHEELS Facebook Live segments in which I travel around our city in my Phoenix Rising Art Car. Stay tuned here for more details! My adventures will sometimes be posted as my weekly VIDEO PICK in this blog.

A note about the social media for GISH PICKS: please LIKE our Facebook page for FAMILY PICKS and our Facebook page for ADULT PICKS. Click “See first” in the dropdown menu on the LIKE button so you won’t miss a post! And please follow me on Instagram and Twitter. You’ll get all my CULTURE PICKS and more that way. And there’s one last way to stay in touch with me: I organize many events, such as labyrinth walks and workshops, so if you’d like to be informed of those before everyone else, please subscribe to my Gish Creative list here.

SPREAD THE WORD AND ADVERTISE IN GISH PICKS!

Please be sure to tell your friends about GISH PICKS – the more people who know about these unique cultural events, the more unique cultural events the organizations will offer us. Please also tell the orgs that I sent you. My business grows by word of mouth so I thank you for your continued support.

And, last but not least: this blog is free to you, my dear reader, but it’s not free for me to produce. I pay my designer and I spend many hours researching, compiling, and writing GISH PICKS each week. If you have an event you’d like me to PICK, please email me and let’s see how I can help. With me on your team, you’ll reach thousands of Houstonians in a quick-and-easy way!

Have a great weekend and please love one another, please share this, and please – go IGNITE YOUR LIFE!

This is an exciting year of “Día de los Muertos” in Houston because, after 30 years, Lawndale Art Center has passed on their annual “Day of the Dead” festivities to MECA. The two organizations have always collaborated but now MECA will be the sole home for all events, thus returning the tradition to its roots. “Día De Los Muertos Festival: Honoring our Past, Celebrating Our Future” will take place this Saturday, October 27 and Sunday, October 28 from 11am-7pm. The free event will feature community ofrendas (altars to the deceased) as well as traditional Hispanic arts and culture.

I love the idea of heading outdoors and seeing the stars and bigger planets up close! The Houston Astronomical Society does this each month around the time of the full moon so this Saturday, October 27, they’ll be checking out the “harvest moon” at League City’s Rusted Oaks Park; all the deets on that free event are here. The full moon party takes place from 7-10pm and the members take their event seriously: not only will they have high-powered telescopes but they’ll also show a 100 foot model of the solar system around 7:30pm as well as a laptop display of various space and astronomy clips and information about resources for astronomy around the world.

Living in the most diverse city in the country has its advantages: every weekend, we can explore several cultures – and this weekend is no exception! NAMC is presenting “Afrifest” this Saturday, October 27 from noon-8pm at Houston Baptist University; tickets start at $5 and kids/seniors/students get in free. From Senegal to Ethiopia, Egypt to South-Africa, the peoples of Africa in Houston will be sharing their unique and diverse culture by showcasing arts, music, foods, and fashion – all in the style of a traditional outdoor African market.

Kids can have a blast enjoying Halloween outdoors at “Tricks & Treats Among the Trees” at Jones Park this Saturday, October 27 from 3:30-7pm. They can enjoy live critters, treats on the trails, crafts, games, and more. This event is free and is organized by the volunteers of Jones Park, which is part of the Harris County Precinct 4 park system.

Midtown Park is one of my fave venues and this Saturday, October 27 from noon-10pm, it will become a fiesta for Dominican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican cultures with the Puerto Rican and Cuban Festival. Music will be the central focus, with headliners Andy Montañez, El Chacal, and Michael Stuart, plus there will be food, arts, and more. The goal of the festival is to educate about the communities of Spanish Caribbean countries and to encourage Houstonians from those countries to come together and celebrate.

Join Writers in the Schools for the 10th anniversary gala, The Illuminated Forest, held at The Astorian on Wednesday, November 7 at 6pm. They will announce Houston’s newest Youth Poet Laureate and celebrate powerful student stories created in their year-round school and camp programs. This year’s Celebration Chairs are Lucy and Sam Chambers and the event is honoring Drs. Melanie J. Malinowski and Andy D. Cunningham. Event proceeds help WITS reach more underserved children, grow new innovative programs, expand the teen poetry movement, and support teachers. It’ll be a brilliant night! Get your tickets here; single tickets and tables are available.

GUIDANCE SESSIONS (Mondays) and LABYRINTH WALKS (Second Saturdays)

I offer intuitive guidance sessions every Monday at Body Mind & Soul ‪from 10:30am-5:30pm and I would love to help Y-O-U. Let’s connect if you are wondering what to do with your life, whether it’s in the personal realm or the professional arena (or both). I use my intuitive skills and my many years of studying people to help you FOCUS – on you, your dreams and desires, and how to manifest them. And if you don’t know what your passions are, I will guide you in discovering them. Finding your personal mission will exponentially increase your ability to succeed in life while also attracting an abundance of joy. Sessions are $100/hour and $50/thirty minutes and take place at the store – 7951 Katy Freeway. Call them at ‪713.993.0550 to book an appointment.NEW: I am now doing guidance sessions by telephone – we can connect from anywhere, anytime! Call me at 713.492.1173 for more information about that service. Please note that the fee for sessions by phone is the same.

And if you’re looking for a way to increase the peace in your life, please join me for our “Second Saturday Labyrinth Walks” at the beautiful Hines Center for Spirituality and Prayer in downtown Houston at 500 Fannin Street. My next walk will be Saturday, November 10, 9am-11am. Free parking is available in the Christ Church Cathedral garage at 559 San Jacinto Street; bring your ticket in to get it validated. We are creating quite a community with these monthly walks – join us! New people will tour the center and we’ll all walk the labyrinth and make art. I am a trained labyrinth facilitator and love sharing what I know with others. Register for the walk here or at the door. You’ll leave with something you’ve made, a list of Houston area labyrinths, and a handout on the art of walking labyrinths. If you’d like to read more about my work and Houston labyrinths, click here for a recent article in the Houston Chronicle.

GISH PICKS: CURATED CULTURE FOR KIDS AND ADULTS is a free weekly email in which I cull through the HUNDREDS of events offered in our city each week and PICK just three for adults and three for kids to recommend. It’s #GishPicks #CuratedCulture to help you plan your weekend! I know many of you go to events based on GISH PICKS recommendations; PLEASE remember to tell the organization that you are there because of us. Word-of-mouth like yours helps our business to grow. In the same spirit, please also feel free to share GISH PICKS with friends and families.

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The purpose of GISH PICKS is to help Houstonians become aware of all the interesting and unique things they can do in Houston and the surrounding area. Exploring your city is a great way to #IgniteYourOwnLife and we are so happy to help you do that. Please do give me feedback and ideas, as you are out there in the trenches also looking for interesting things and I want to hear what you find.

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For more about my personal, family, and business enrichment company, Gish Creative, and the services we offer, please click here. You are on this list because I thought this e-newsletter would be helpful to you or because you signed up for it. Please feel free to tell your friends to subscribe by clicking here. My goal is to serve as an information resource for Houston kids and adults through my various endeavors, including: